Just because I work from home, doesn’t mean that I sit around all day, or have an easy/flexible schedule. It’s completely the opposite, actually. I have to keep a bit of a structured regiment in order to stay organized and keep my sanity.
For a bit of background, I work remotely full-time for the company that I worked for back in America. Which is great, but the one caveat is that I have to align my hours to EST, which makes sense. Last year on my trial run living in the U.K., I worked 2:00pm-10:00pm and no surprise – it was fucking exhausting. Before coming back to the U.K., I spoke to my boss about changing my hours a bit. He was more than happy to, so I now work 12:00pm-8:00pm.
So, you’d think that’s great, right? I can sleep in every morning, relax all day, etc. Yeaaaaaaa, no.
I need to be completely on it with work dealing with clients, phone calls, emails, invoices, etc. I’m also currently running this blog full-time on the side and studying to get my U.K.’s driver’s license, to name just a few other things. So I need to be completely on top of things with every other aspect of my life.
With Steve back at work and the autumn season starting, it’s been a chance for me to really ensure that I maintain some sort of a routine to stay organized.
Just short of practically hooking myself up to an IV filled with coffee, I’ve found a few small things that I’ve implemented in my daily routines that have made a massive impact on my day, how much I achieve, and my stress levels. I know everyone’s different, but I figured I would share them on here for anyone else having trouble coping with all the things that need to be done in their day to day lives.
Planning/To Do Lists
I love planning. Like, LOVE it. Any type of list is great, and makes me feel like I have my shit together (even though I don’t lol). I wrote a previous post about how I’ve started bullet journaling, and it has made such a great difference in my day to day routines. Every Sunday, I map out what I need to do for the week, important dates to remember, deadlines, blog posts to publish, to do lists for work and life admin, etc. It’s all in one place for me look back at, and I’m not scrambling each day to figure out what needs to be done.
Meal Planning
I’ve always looked at meal planning like some daunting thing that I’ll never get the hang of. I’ve read online about people who dedicate entire Sundays to planning and prepping meals for the week and I’m just like….nah. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that – and huge props to the people that can actually do that – but it’s just not for me. I do think you can meal prep and not have to be THAT extreme. My meal prepping starts every Sunday or Monday (depending on when I get to it haha). I’ll peruse some sites for some recipe ideas if I’m at a loss for what to make (thank the gods for Pinterest), and come up with a game plan based on that. And I always have some easy go-to’s that Steve and I love, as well as things that Steve can easily pop in the oven in case I’m too busy with work.
And where do I keep all the recipes for the week? You guessed it – my bullet journal.
Online Grocery Orders
Before Steve went back to work, I would send him off with a list to the grocery store while I worked. Let me tell you something – if you really want to test the strength of your marriage/relationship, send your husband/partner to the grocery on their own. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sent him to the supermarket and he’s come back with like half of what I put on there (apparently bread crumbs don’t exist in the U.K.), and countless other things that WEREN’T on the list. Good job, babe.
Okay I kind of got off topic with this one (and am in no way slamming my husband – I am so thankful that he’s been able to help out so much while I work). With Steve back and work, and me being without a license and/or car, I’ve started having the groceries delivered, and it’s seriously just a huge relief to have one less thing for either of us to do. The last thing we want to do is deal with Sainsbury’s on a Saturday. It also gives me the time to sit and go through the deals at each supermarket to see where I’ll get the most for my money. When I figure out the meals for the week is when I usually place the order (makes sense, obvs)
Getting Up Early
Starting work at noon means that I really DON’T have to get up early, but I make the choice to. That’s my chance to get the things done in the day that I otherwise can’t because of my job. Since I don’t finish work until 8:00pm, the only thing I have time for while working is cooking dinner, and even then sometimes Steve has to jump in to help if I’m on a call or in email hell. Also, by the time I’m done with work, I’m actually usually too tired to do anything. Plus, I want to be able to spend quality time with Steve after we’ve both finished work. So I get up at around 8:00-9:00 and do as much as I can before starting work for the day.
Prioritizing Tasks
It’s important for me to prioritize tasks for specific times/days so I can get things done in a timely manner. Whether it be a post that needs to be written up, working out, studying for my theory exam, taking pictures for the blog, etc. – I make sure to schedule them so that I have enough to give each task the attention it deserves. I can’t get everything that I want to in ONE morning before work, and I find that it’s a great way to avoid the whole “making too many decisions” burnout that so many of us feel all the time.
Like I said, these are what works for me. And yea, they seem pretty basic/obvious, but they really DO work, in my opinion. And help me keep my sanity. That way, when the weekend rolls around, I can actually relax and enjoy it.
What are some of your favorite tips for staying organized?
xx Lauren
These are great tips for staying organized. I work from home too. Making lists and having our meals planned has helped to cut out a lot of the extra stress.
If it wasn’t for meal planning I would be soooo much more stressed during the day!
I love online grocery shopping. It is an absolute life saver for us as we’re both disabled so even just walking around the shop and dealing with the hustle and bustle of people, let alone how much time it takes out of your day, is a big stuggle for us. I am never going back. I have never been a big shopper and I really feel that people are just worse when they enter a supermarket. Give them a trolley and it’s like bumper cars!
Omg, they really are! A lot of people are SO RUDE in the supermarket. Between people just stopping right in front of you, not being able to get around, etc. – it’s like a zoo sometimes!
Organization is my JAM! I love having a plan and a step by step process for EVERYTHING! I haven’t tried a bullet journal, but I want to so bad. Right now I like to schedule out my day so that I know exactly what NEEDS to be done and when. That way I’m not waisting time trying to remember what I was needed to get done. I’m hoping to get a daily “goal setting/accomplishing” post on my own blog, and I’m acutally using my own disorganized first attempt at doing it as an example lol You’re never too late to make a plan!
That sounds like such an intriguing way to work, almost like a freelancer but tied somewhat to US office hours! I love meal prepping but like you can never find the time for it, but must admit it is handy to know there are tasty veggie curries and chillis in the freezer ready to eat at any time! Loved these tips!
http://victoriaspongepeasepudding.com/
Thanks, Victoria! Yea, it’s definitely interesting! Not gonna lie, the hours suck sometimes! But hey, could be worse.
Maybe one day I’ll get the hang of meal prepping, lol!
Some great tips here – meal planning is definitely something I need to get back into the habit of doing along with writing a grocery shopping list. I actually enjoy going to the shops over online! I’ve never tried a bullet journal but see them everywhere now, I do use my phone’s calender as my planner but I’m terrible at prioritising!